Check out the inspiring story of Fred Dukes, a college-bound Atlanta student who graduated from High School despite being homeless and having no support from family.

Dukes’ mother left Atlanta for a job opportunity in South Carolina. Fred stayed behind, and managed to make it through school with a 24 ACT score and 3.0 GPA. He did so without family support, sleeping in homeless shelters and occasionally a friend’s couch.

Making it to class everyday under the stress of surviving on his own was truly a struggle, but Dukes persevered. He’s attending Coker College in South Carolina this fall.

“Dukes sold candy in the hallways of school to make money – until he was caught. One night he went to meet a friend for a job, but things went bad. Duke’s meeting went longer than expected and as a result, he said he missed the last train at the Lindbergh Marta Station. With no money for a cab and no one to call, he said he did what he had to do. He walked to Oakland City in southwest Atlanta. That’s a 10-mile walk that started at midnight and ended at 3:30 a.m. But he made it to class on time.

‘It’s a lot. It’s a lot for an adult, and then to see a child do this? Yes it’s a lot,’ said Leyanna Lloyd, Dukes’ science teacher.

‘He would just tell me stuff and I would sit there with a straight face and then I would end up crying after he left because he has been through a lot, but he never said he was giving up, ever,’ said Lloyd.”

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The Black Youth Project is a platform that highlights the voices and ideas of Black millennials. Through knowledge, voice, and action, we work to empower and uplift the lived experiences of young Black Americans today.